Comparison of capsule endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging for the detection of polyps of the small intestine in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis or with Peutz-Jeghers' syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: We have conducted a study to compare the diagnostic yields of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and capsule endoscopy for the detection of small-bowel polyps in patients with inherited polyposis syndromes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MRI was performed in 20 patients, with either Peutz-Jeghers' syndrome (PJS; n = 4) or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP; n = 16), and capsule endoscopy was done the next day. The number, size, and location of polyps were analyzed.
RESULTS: Overall, 448 polyps ranging from about 1 mm to 30 mm in size were detected in eight patients by capsule endoscopy, whereas with MRI only 24 polyps all bigger than 5 mm could be seen in the four PJS patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Polyps bigger than 15 mm were detected similarly with capsule endoscopy and MRI, whereas smaller polyps were seen much more often with capsule endoscopy. Polyps smaller than 5 mm were exclusively seen with capsule endoscopy. However, location of the detected polyps and determination of their exact sizes was more accurate by MRI.